Did you know that your local museum has a sample of Tutankhamun’s linen on display? Do you know how it got here?
Like Lisburn in years gone by, Linen was everywhere in ancient Egypt. A highly prized fabric, it had multiple uses in everyday life and death. Indeed, much of our knowledge of ancient Egyptian linen comes from examples found in tombs, including Howard Carter’s (1874-1939) discovery of Tutankhamun’s resting place in 1922.
Among almost 5,000 items uncovered were numerous examples of fine linen. In 1923, Carter met with a local buyer for Belfast’s York Street Spinning Company, Lt. Col. Victor Unsworth. He provided Unsworth with a sample of linen from Tutankhamun’s tomb. It remained in the Unsworth family until 2007, when it was came to Lisburn Museum. While central to the permanent Flax to Fabric exhibition, the Tutankhamun linen is a perfect accompaniment to the current ‘Egyptian hieroglyphs: unlock the mystery’ exhibition.
The exhibition runs until 12 October.
